Selwyn River 23/25 Sep

[cooneyr]

OK, I'm doing the peninsula ride. I would've prefered a bit more blue, but the cloud's thin and the temp's forecast to be good so hopefully what cloud there is will burn off as the day goes on.

cooneyr - Enjoy your ride, nice weather for you too.

PLUG - whatcha doin' ?

WX looking great out here to. Cloud looks pretty high to the south of the Peninsular but is there. Enjoy you ride FQ.

Will try and get some good pics for you all.

Cheers
R

[Transalper]

Hope you guys have fun. If my bike was running I'd be certainly sneaking in a dirty exploration sometime this weekend.

So what's up with your bike? Been waiting a while to see you out on the road.

[Ghost Lemur]

So what's up with your bike? Been waiting a while to see you out on the road.

Nothing, besides me.

Last weekend I left it unused for a couple of days and then couldn't get the damn thing started again. Had a mate visit on Saturday so I got him to kick it for me, eventually got it started.

Seriously going to have to work on my leg strength. This shit just aint funny and does nothing for my ego that's for sure.

Still all on for the late Oct ride. Can't wait to start learning from you guys.

[cooneyr]

Nothing, besides me.

Last weekend I left it unused for a couple of days and then couldn't get the damn thing started again. Had a mate visit on Saturday so I got him to kick it for me, eventually got it started.

Seriously going to have to work on my leg strength. This shit just aint funny and does nothing for my ego that's for sure.

Still all on for the late Oct ride. Can't wait to start learning from you guys.

Given that it was only a couple of days without use my suggestion is probably a crock of sht but here goes. When I left my RMX (slightly closer to a RM than the CRM is to a CR) for a week or so without starting I found it really really hard to start - not hard to kicking over - it just wouldnt fire. After weeks of trying different starting techniques and getting wet plugs (with choke on a no throttle as per the owners manual) I started to play around a little. Remembered the "older" fullas saying things about fuel going off so I tried draining the float bowl before trying to start it one day. By dropping the "old" fuel out and letting "fresh" fuel from the tank in it would start 1 or second kick from cold with the owners manual procedure.

Not sure if it was the "fresh" fuel or symptom of something else like naffed seald in carby, but it seemed to work. Other thing may be the 2stroke oil and mixture you are using. Has it changed reciently? Are the plugs fouled? I know very little about oils and mixtures but sure others could help.

The RMX carby had a largeish (15 or 17mm cant remember) thin head hex bolt under the carby to drain the float bowl. Other brands have screw to drain the float bowl.

If you simply cant get it to fire after leaving it a few days then you might like to give this ago. Simple and no cost test.

Cheers
R

[Ghost Lemur]

Thanks for the tips Cooneyr.

The 3 hours I spent with Linton at DAS who was playing around with the idle settings. I have changed the plug as the old one gave me some issues.

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure the main problem was me. My mate had to deal with it having been left over a week and was able to get it (eventually) started.

I think it probably still does need some tweaking and fine tuning with the setting. Of course this is seriously hindered by the complete lack of documentation available for this bike.

But when she runs, oh it's all so very, very worth it.

[Transalper]

Seems that no two bikes are created equal and so even two of the same bike may in the end have their own unique little ritual or technique adjustment that needs to be learned to get the bike started under various conditions.

And... for cripes sake i hope you ride it far enough to warm up properly and then give it a bit of a handful each time you go out. I'm sure it will just fowel everything up real quickly if you just quiely commute short distances and thus never get it warmed up or give it a chance to clear its throat.

[Ghost Lemur]

Seems that no two bikes are created equal and so even two of the same bike may in the end have their own unique little ritual or technique adjustment that needs to be learned to get the bike started under various conditions.

And... for cripes sake i hope you ride it far enough to warm up properly and then give it a bit of a handful each time you go out. I'm sure it will just fowel everything up real quickly if you just quiely commute short distances and thus never get it warmed up or give it a chance to clear its throat.

For a while I was using my old cb ritual of starting the bike, having a smoke, gearing up and then going. But after being stuck outside work for an hour and a half as I waited for a new plug to arrive after the bike bogged and stalled during this ritual, I discovered the CRM does NOT like sitting idle.

So now I take it easy for the first couple of minutes and then just ride it like I own it.

As for giving it gas, it almosts demands I twist the wrist. Commuting has never been so much fun. Just wish I lived further away.

BTW it had an 8 NGK plug in it and I replaced it with a 7 due to the fact that it isn't getting much (time wise) of a run with commuting.


On a different note: Is anyone up for an evening ride sometime? It's kind of easier with family commitments to go riding in the evening. Don't know what sort of ride would be possible at night though.

[laRIKin]

I hope that you can get the starting sorted.

I had mates with them when they were near new and they use to have problems as well.

We were young and dumb so we did not know how to fix them back then.
We were to proud to ask and to poor to put them in to the shop.
A bad combo.

I'm sure that you will get it sorted as they have been around and most things will have be sorted and fixers found.

[Transalper]

Is anyone up for an evening ride sometime? It's kind of easier with family commitments to go riding in the evening. Don't know what sort of ride would be possible at night though.

A more road orientated ride for the dark and a run over the western vally rd Port Levy to Little River or maybe some of those areas are still ok in the dark.

I'm available most Friday/Saturday/Sunday days and evenings and nights (don't do so well in mornings before 8:30am)... also some (but not this week) Thursday evenings.

[laRIKin]

You can still ride up the river (Waimak) at night.
It makes it interesting and quite different.
And a helmet mounted light is best to see where you want to go and not where your bars are pointing.

Could be interested in doing it on a Friday or Saturday night.

[Ghost Lemur]

What are the options as far as close trails? Obviously being evening minimal travel .

Might find a suitable date and start a new thread.

[laRIKin]

What are the options as far as close trails? Obviously being evening minimal travel .

Might find a suitable date and start a new thread.

If you are going to take a car and trailer you have to be careful where you park or it will be locked in. (or damaged by boy racers)

But with our regoed bikes we could ride anywhere we want, it just time to complete the ride as you will be slower in the dark.

That's why I will only go on an evening ride that is not on a school night (so to speak) as you may not get home until real late.

I may do a quick very short night ride to see if my bikes head light is up to it.

[Ghost Lemur]

My thoughts are it'd need to be no further than half an hour away, that way we get in a reasonable amount of time riding the fun stuff. Maybe a total of 2 - 3 hours, which if we started at 6:30-7pm would mean being back by 9-10. My preference (particularly for my first) would be half hour there, 1 hour ish on a trail and then home.

As for slow, well I'm going to be that irrespective of time of day or night.

Think I might have finally cracked the code to starting my bike. I had left it sitting since Sunday. Went out last night to kick it over, and had my same old same old issues, so started trying different things. I had been starting it with side stand down for a couple of reasons. Initally it was fear I'd loose my balance and drop the bike. Then it also became because I was standing on the pegs to get leverage to kick the hell out of it.

Last night sitting on the bike exausted I thought about what my mate was doing when he started it. So I brought up the kickstand and gave it a couple of kicks and BANG, straight into life. What what makes me certain that I've now cracked the code is, not only what the choke not on but neither was the fuel switch. So I shut it down and tried again to insure it wasn't a fluke. Sure enough, couple of kicks and that sweet ring-a-ding sound.

My theory is it either doesn't like being on a lean, or more likely, doesn't like starting with the kickstand down. Now I knew the kickstand hand a cutout switch, but it's only in effect when the bike is in gear. So I didn't even consider it being the cause for the starting troubles I was having.

Thinking about leaving it bike sitting til the weekend and testing it again to make sure I've got it sorted.

So overall it looks like I might have berrated myself a little unjustly over my inability to start the bike easily.

[laRIKin]

Please Ghost/L don't take this the wrong way.

I'm not keen on just going for an hour ride, because time it takes to gear up for a off road ride and clean up me and the bike after the ride.
I want to make it worth the effort.
So I go for at least 3-4 hour off road rides or make whole day of it.
Now if it is on the street bikes a quick hour or two ride is OK with me.
But once I get on a bike I just want to ride and ride.

[Transalper]

I still reckon the run to Port Levy and over the dirt/shingle Western Valley Rd to Little River is a good learning road. It may not be an actual river/forrest/4x4 track education but still a lot of fun and still fine in the dark. I used to do it often while getting to know and running in my old '99 Honda XRB200 back when it was new.
Other than that you end up back at the Waimak and i'd be a little weary of going there late.
Worseys Rd would be somewhere to progress to once you have learned some control and an intermediate knowledge of what you're doing. Once again on Worseys i'd rather be finishing the technical stuff by the time the sun goes, but am happy to ride Western Valley in the dark.